Construction is set to begin this week at the Workman property, located near Sake2U at 603 Yampa Street. The project will convert a former residential property that the City of Steamboat purchased into a city park. The project will be coordinated with a culvert replacement at the Butcherknife Creek crossing under Yampa St., as well as naturalized bank improvements around the perimeter of the Workman property and next to Sake2U. This is the first step toward making the property into a public greenspace with amenities. The project is funded by the City of Steamboat Springs in collaboration with the Yampa River Park 2A Accommodations and also utilizing funding provided by Great Outdoors Colorado. Landmark Consultants and Wenk Associates are the design consultants for the project and Native Excavating is the general contractor for this work.
Danny Paul, the City’s Project Manager and Civil Engineer, said, “We look forward to taking this next step to make improvements on Yampa Street. The City needs to address infrastructure maintenance by replacing the deteriorating culverts at the Butcherknife Creek crossing. This project capitalizes on an opportunity to combine two projects to realize cost and construction efficiencies. This first phase of the project will balance improved bank stability around the perimeter of the Workman property while maintaining a naturalized river environment along the creek and river frontages. The bank improvements will be similar to what the Parks Department recently completed at the Rich Weiss Park.”
Due to the bank improvement work that is necessary along the Yampa River, four mature cottonwood trees will need to be removed. “The designers did what they could to design the improvements around those trees and save them but at the end of the day we are concerned that the harm to the tree root balls will cause them to die quickly. However, the plans include installation of two-hundred new willow plantings and we are working on a landscape plan for the park which will include new trees”, said Paul.
The public should expect a full road closure beginning next week and lasting into October. The road will be closed between 6th and 7th Streets along Yampa St., however, access to all residential properties, businesses, and public parking will remain open including the public parking lot located at the corner of 7th and Yampa. The Farmer’s Market hosted over the weekends at this location will also not be impacted by the construction. The public is asked to use an alternative route around the work zone during construction. A pedestrian detour route will also be made available by the contractor.
The initial phase of the project will serve as the next piece of a longstanding effort to revitalize Yampa Street which will include undergrounding of the existing overhead utility lines as well as public walkway and pedestrian amenities along Yampa Street and throughout the downtown area.
For more information, please contact the City’s Project Manager, Danny Paul at: (970) 871-8210.